Vertical retort setting for carbonization of coal and like materials



June 4, 1949. g E ET AL 2,203,586 VERTICAL RETORT SETTING FOR CARBONIZATION OF COAL AND LIKE MATERIALS Filed July 19,.1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wasf June 4, 1940. F. J. WEST ET AL 2,203,586 VERTICAL RETORT SETTING FQR CARBONIZATION OF COAL AND LIKE MATERIALS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1938 June4, 1940. J WEST AL 2,203,586

VERTICAL RETORT SETTING FOR CARBONIZATION 0F COAL AND LIKE MATERIALS Filed July 19,1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 h IP 5.

June 4, 1940. J: wEsT 5' AL 2,203,586

VERTICAL RETOR'I' SETTING FOR CARBONIZATION OF COAL AND LIKE MATERIALS Filed July 19, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Int/angry Patented June 4, 1940 PATENT OFFICE VERTICAL RETORT SETTING FOR CAR- BONIZATION OF COAL AND LIKE MATE- BIALS Frederick Joseph West and Ernest West, Miles Platting, Manchester, England, assignors to West's Gas Improvement Company Limited, Miles Platting, Manchester, England, a British company Application July 19, 1938, Serial No. 220,159

. In Great Britain August 18, 1937 2 Claims.

,This invention relates to the settings of vertical retorts for the carbonization of coal, shale and like materials, and has for its object to provide a setting which shall have high thermal efficiency and shall effectively provide for the expansion of the setting due to the temperature ,to whichit is subjectedand to the growth of the refractory materials.

The invention comprises the provision around the retorts in the setting of a plurality of superposed horizontal combustion chambers each divided into two sections extending in parallel along the opposite sides of the portions of the retorts which pass therethrough, each section hav ing gas and air inlets at its opposite ends so that the flames travel towards one another from such ends, with an outlet for the products of combustion at a mid-position in the length of each section, such products of combustion being cirthrough gaps in the base of the chamber above,

the products of combustion from the several chambers uniting and circulating in series through a plurality of. superposed horizontal chambers above the level of the combustion i chambers.

The invention further comprises providing the brickwork of the setting with clearance spaces to permit of thermal expansion and contraction at a point midway between the sides or ends of the setting, the clearance spaces being closed by parts sliding over one another as the setting expands and contracts. Referring to the accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings: a

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through a retort setting on the line I--l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view, as to the upper part on the line 2-2 of Figures 1 and 4 and as to the lower part on the, line 2 2 of Figures 1 and 4. i

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4. is a sectional elevation on the line 44 of Figure 2.,

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

The retorts are in the illustrated example arranged in rows of four, lettered a, b, c and d and around the retorts are arranged superposed. horizontal chambers, of which the lower six namely e, f, g, h, i and a' are combustion chambers and the upper four, namely 1c, 1, m and n are waste gas circulating chambers.

Each combustion chamber is divided into two sections which extend along opposite sides of the retorts, by make-up pieces 0 arranged in the line of the retorts. Each section of a combustion chamber, that is the sections p, q of Figure 2, has a gas inlet 1', and an air inlet 8 at each end, that is to say there are two gas and two air inlets to each section, the flames produced at such inlets being directed towards one another. The gas producer which supplies the gas ports ris shown at t. It will be seen that the flames from the gas and air ports travel in parallel at the opposite sides of the retorts and that the hot products of combustion from the two ends of the setting meet midway between such ends and at such points there are openings in the floor of the chamber above, up through which the products of combustion rises as shown by the arrows in Figure 4 until they reach the uppermost combustion chamber a when they travel to one end thereof as shown by the arrows, and then travel in series at the opposite sides of the retorts through the waste gas circulating chambers k, l, m and n prior to passing to the chimney u.

The waste gas circulating chambers k, l, m

and n are divided into parallel sections exactly as shown in Figure 2 which however illustrates combustion chambers.

In Figures 2 and 3, the gaps in the brickwork of the setting through which the products of combustion ascend to the waste gas circulating chambers are shown at v. The number and width of the gaps increase at each level of the setting in order to deal with the increasing volume of products of combustion passing upwards to the waste gas circulating chambers.

In the case of the top combustion chamber 7, the gas and air ports at the left hand end may be omitted as the waste gases circulate towards such end on their way to the waste gas circulating chamber 1c.

The brickwork of the retort setting at the midway position where the products of combustion from the combustion chambers travel upwards to the waste gas circulating chambers is provided with vertical clearance spaces w and at such spaces vertical ribs :1: projecting from one side of the clearance spaces enter recesses provided at the other side of such spaces. The side faces of the ribs and recesses can move over one another as the setting expands and contracts in of each combustion chamber and at each end of each chamber. One nozzle delivers air through a transverse passage 8 to the section of the combustion chamber at the opposite side of the retorts to the section to which the air for combustion purposes is delivered by the nozzle 8 v The air which passes to the air portss may if desired be heated on its way to such ports by passing through one or more chambers, similar to the waste gas circulating chambers disposed around the retorts below the'level of the combus'tion chambers; In the illustrated application of the invention, the air for combustion is heated in'its passage through ducts 2 formed in the retort setting.

There may be any desired number of sets of retorts with their major axes in line in a setting and the flame ports will be disposed at the opposite sides of each set of retorts so that the flames will travel in parallel along the opposite sides of the retorts to the central uptake through which the hot products of combustion travel to the waste gas circulating chambers, and thence to the lines.

free thermal expansion and contraction thereof.

When a setting is being overhauled, the brickwork around the clearance spaces w, w can be retorts being contiguous and together forming,

a continuous Wall, a plurality of superposed combustion chambers 'at each side of said wall, means to supply combustible gas and air to each end of each of said combustion chambers, an outlet at the middle of each combustion chamber for products of combustion from both ends of such chamber, such outlet opening into the middle of the chamber immediately above, a plurality of superposed waste gas circulating chamhere at each side of said wall above said. superposed combustion chambers, and ducts leading from circulating chamber to circulating chamber at the ends thereof to lead products of combus tion entering thelowest circulating chamber from the uppermost combustion chamber successively upwards through the said circulating chambers from end to end thereof and from the furthermost end of the uppermost circulating chamber out of the retort setting. 7

2. A vertical retort setting as claimed in claim 1, comprising also expansion spaces in the brickwork of the setting extending along the height of the retorts and located midway between the ends of the combustion chambers, and parts respectively upon the two halves of said brickwork to either side of said expansion spaces adopted toslide over one anotherto close said expansion spaces. 7

FREDERICK JOSEPH WEST. ERNEST WEST. 

